n : any of a group of higher fungi that have septate hyphae and spores borne on a basidium produced directly from the mycelium or as an outgrowth of a spore, that include rusts, smuts, and numerous edible forms (as many mushrooms), and that are variously considered to comprise a class (Basidiomycetes), a subdivision (Basidiomycotina), or a division (Basidiomycota) ba*sid*io*my*ce*tousadj